Uses the scientific method to help you understnad more about soil. Includes hands-on experiments.

Describes experiments that can be performed with soil in order to learn about its properties, including its composition, whether it can act as a natural filter, and if different substances can make it more fertile.

Step-by-step instructions for doing science experiments dealing with soil and water are followed by an explanation of what happened during the experiments.

Following the scientific process, this title provides instructions on how to conduct experiments that help students gain a better understanding of the property and characteristics of soil.

The presence - or absence - of soil organic matter (SOM) has important implications for agricultural productivity. It could also have significant implications for global climate due to its role as a source/sink of carbon. Therefore, it is important to understand the issues related to the accumulation or loss of SOM, to use what we have learned from experiments to make sound decisions about soil and crop management, and to test models and future concepts concerning SOM management. A database is included with the book, presenting tabular data for 34 sites in North America. Soil Organic Matter in Temperate Agroecosystems discusses all of these issues and more, answering such questions as:

A step-by-step text on the basic tests performed in soil mechanics, Introduction to Soil Mechanics Laboratory Testing provides procedural aids and elucidates industry standards. It also covers how to properly present data and document results. Containing numerical examples and figures, the information presented is based on American Society f

Explains the use of soil, the scientific method, and includes experiments to test your knowledge.

Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils. Soil biology is the study of microbial and faunal activity and ecology in soil. Soil life, soil biota and soil fauna are collective terms that encompasses all organisms that spend a significant portion of their life cycle within a soil profile, or at the soil-litter interface. Soils are rich ecosystems, composed of both living and non-living matter with a multitude of interaction between them. Soils play an important role in all of our natural ecological cycles. They also provide benefits through their contribution in a number of additional processes, called ecosystem services. These services range from waste decomposition to acting as a water filtration system to degrading environmental contaminants. Soil biochemistry is one of the branches of soil science dealing with the formation and decomposition of soil organic matter, biochemical reactions of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, metals and xenobiotic in soils, and biochemistry of the plant-root rhizosphere. The book will suit to the needs of students, teachers, scholars and general readers.